As others see us - Wall St Journal

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

By JONATHAN CLEGG

There's no getting away from it: Glasgow Rangers' slide into bankruptcy protection last week was a troubling sign for soccer, a dark moment for one of Britain's biggest teams and a sad reflection on the state of today's game.

The 140-year-old team, which has won more titles than any other club in world soccer, filed for administration over an unpaid tax bill of £9 million ($14.2 million) and the threat of another one for at least £49 million.

Rangers was deducted 10 points by Scotland's soccer authorities, all but deciding the championship with three months of the season left.

For fans who have long tied their identity to this team, these are wrenching days. Many of the club's legendary figures, from former coach Walter Smith to defender Terry Butcher, have publicly questioned the team's future. In coming days, the pedestal on which supporters have placed the team is likely to sink, as the scale of financial mismanagement is laid bare.

But setting aside the obvious disappointment for fans, the possibility of job losses and the prospect of the most anticlimactic finish to a season in decades, the demise of this hallowed old institution has raised a slightly awkward question: Could this actually be a good thing for Scottish soccer?

Whatever the implications of the crisis, Rangers is unlikely to go away anytime soon. There's too much history and too much money at stake for that. Even in the unlikely event that the team is liquidated, a new company will obtain enough of its assets to carry on as Rangers.

But a short period of decline at Rangers could be just what the sport needs to solve some of the lingering problems and fundamental inequities that have dogged the Scottish game for most of two decades.

"The scale of the crisis at Rangers is a major opportunity to rewrite the rules of Scottish football," said Tom Cannon, a sports business professor at the University of Liverpool. "It's time for a radical rethink about the game."

Almost 15 years since the 1998 foundation of the Scottish Premier League, there are signs that soccer in Scotland is in steady decline. Its leading teams are also-rans in Europe, attendances are dwindling, and the national team has failed to qualify for any of the past six major tournaments and is ranked 48th in the world, one place behind Iran.

But the broader problem is the essential lopsidedness of the sport. In Scotland, the game is defined by the ancient rivalry between Rangers and Celtic, the top two clubs in Glasgow, and the country's traditional powers.

Since this grudge match began in 1888, these teams—whose stadiums are just five miles apart—have captured more than 80% of the total Scottish titles, all while serving as the embodiment of a deep social division between Catholics and Protestants.

The Glasgow clubs, known as the "Old Firm", are two of the greatest rivals in any sport. League games between them have a gravity that draws a significant global audience. Together they help the league sell more tickets, attract star players and above all, negotiate better TV deals.

But even as the money in Scottish soccer has grown—the SPL agreed to an extension of its broadcast deal with Sky Sports and ESPN last November worth roughly £80 million over five years—the gulf between the haves and have-nots seems to be widening each year. While this dynamic is true of every major professional league, it is especially accentuated in Scotland.

If Celtic wins the championship this year, as appears inevitable, it will mark the 27th straight season in which the title has been held by one of the Old Firm clubs, tying the 27 consecutive titles achieved between 1904 and 1931 for their longest period of unbroken dominance in the game's history.

There are signs this predictability is taking a toll on fans. Last season, the average attendance for all 12 SPL clubs dropped to 13,672, down 14% from 2001-02 and the lowest figure in the modern era.

Still, there's nothing like the spark of competition to fire up an indifferent fan base. The prospect of a season in which actual games need to be played to determine the top league spots in the standings could reverse the attendance woes. In 2005-06, when Heart of Midlothian finished second, the club's average attendances rose by more than 4,000 per match., on average.

The added suspense and excitement of a league without two dominant superpowers could help boost TV ratings for games between smaller clubs. "Fans want to see a more open, more exciting league," said Alan Harris, the chairman of Supporters Direct in Scotland. "One thing we've found is people saying if it was more competitive, they would go to more matches."

Some say the Rangers liquidity crisis could even address Scotland's dearth of talent. Now the team is no longer in a position to bludgeon the opposition with its checkbook, Rangers must focus on developing young, homegrown talent, rather than plugging holes with overpaid veterans.

For the past decade, the club's hiring strategy has relied on simply snapping up any player performing moderately well for the smaller Scottish clubs, with a couple of aging overseas luminaries added for good measure. The club established a top-class youth academy at Murray Park in 2001, but in recent years, homegrown talents have been sold to ease cashflow.

For starters, investing in a youth policy would ensure Rangers is prepared for European soccer's new rules on spending, known as the Financial Fair Play regulations, which broadly prohibits clubs from spending more than they earn in revenue and will come into force from 2013-14.

In the long-term, the focus on developing homegrown talent could even address the national team's shortage of top-class players, which some blame on the number of overseas players in the top division.

Still, some observers find the positive spin on Ranger's plight difficult to swallow. Many of the SPL's commercial deals are contingent on the strength of the Old Firm, in particular the league's broadcast deal, which specifies a minimum of four Old Firm games must take placeeach season.

"What is good for the game is a strong Rangers," said Geoff Brown, the former chairman of St Johnstone. "Without that, it would make life very, very difficult for Scottish football."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239323341938932.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Quite a good read tbh

[GOAT 30,449]

"Soccer club"

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

"Soccer club"

Outside the goldfish bowl of Scotland some people do refer to it as soccer.

That article is much better than most of the shite you read in the Scottish media.

[rangersross 6,579]

Well written, and an outside perspective is always interesting. Surprised that they didn't mention our American players, so much for branding possibilities.

[Gash07 26]

Our plight is not a reflection of Scottish football or otherwise. Our predicament has been brought about by the direct and deliberate actions of one man, Craig Whyte.

[phreeky 3]

Our plight is not a reflection of Scottish football or otherwise. Our predicament has been brought about by the direct and deliberate actions of one man, Craig Whyte.

No, it's the constant attempt to buy talent, throw it on the park and grind out results. It has escalated recently and the football is ugly to watch too. Craig Whyte may not be a popular man but when costs > revenue for an extended period of time then you're in a bad place, regardless of the other stuff going on.

[Creampuff 22,628]

Our plight is not a reflection of Scottish football or otherwise. Our predicament has been brought about by the direct and deliberate actions of one man, Craig Whyte.

just him, aye?

[Gash07 26]

just him, aye?

Well our current predicament is administration and impending liquidation. Brought about by Whyte.

Murrays failings being the previous loyds debt and the big tax case are neither here not there at the moment, we would be in admin even if they didn't exist.

It would seem that Whyte it's doing everything in his power to liquidate the club.

So yes, one man.

[caseyjones 3,009]

Good to read the views of an outsider without an axe to grind or a slant to promote.

[AMMS 27]

The guy who wrote this isn't an American, he's English. I don't know if this appeared in the American version of the Wall Street Journal only the European version.

[TheBluebells 6,898]

Only thing is he said the tax bill is at LEAST £49million, that's not right is it, thought it was that figure at the most?

Decent article though

[simplythebestest 2,148]

I can see it now: some Texan oil billionaire who traces his roots back to Scotland reading the Wall Street Journal. He is so moved by the plight of this great institution that it inspires him to look deeper into his family history. There he discovers that his Scottish-born father was a huge bluenose, and that his grandfather as a young man even played a few games at the club alongside the gallant pioneers. He decided that now in his late fifties it's time to quit the oil fields, sell up and come back to his spiritual home.

He ploughs million after million into restoring this great club to it's previous grandeur and upon his death, after decades of unparalleled success, leaves his vast fortune in a bank account with a will that reads "To the fans, I leave this great club."

I can't reveal my source

[Creampuff 22,628]

Murrays failings being the previous loyds debt and the big tax case are neither here not there at the moment, we would be in admin even if they didn't exist.

Ludicrous.

[Gash07 26]

Ludicrous.

Insightful.

[Creampuff 22,628]

Insightful.

If I need to explain how without Whyte we would still be in administration, I'm explaining it to someone who will never get it.

[Jimfanciesthedude 25,030]

There are signs this predictability is taking a toll on fans. Last season, the average attendance for all 12 SPL clubs dropped to 13,672, down 14% from 2001-02 and the lowest figure in the modern era.

didnt neil doncaster try and fool us with an attendance rise last season

[marmalade1872 40]

I can see it now: some Texan oil billionaire who traces his roots back to Scotland reading the Wall Street Journal. He is so moved by the plight of this great institution that it inspires him to look deeper into his family history. There he discovers that his Scottish-born father was a huge bluenose, and that his grandfather as a young man even played a few games at the club alongside the gallant pioneers. He decided that now in his late fifties it's time to quit the oil fields, sell up and come back to his spiritual home.

He ploughs million after million into restoring this great club to it's previous grandeur and upon his death, after decades of unparalleled success, leaves his vast fortune in a bank account with a will that reads "To the fans, I leave this great club."

aye and when he turns his toes up his long lost cousin appears a one chad whyte

I can't reveal my source

[WVB 2,560]

Our plight is not a reflection of Scottish football or otherwise. Our predicament has been brought about by the direct and deliberate actions of one man, Craig Whyte.

Is that you Sir David?

[Thermopylae 15,287]

The 5 miles between the grounds seems like a bit of an underestimate

[johanhentze 14,327]

I can see it now: some Texan oil billionaire who traces his roots back to Scotland reading the Wall Street Journal. He is so moved by the plight of this great institution that it inspires him to look deeper into his family history. There he discovers that his Scottish-born father was a huge bluenose, and that his grandfather as a young man even played a few games at the club alongside the gallant pioneers. He decided that now in his late fifties it's time to quit the oil fields, sell up and come back to his spiritual home.

He ploughs million after million into restoring this great club to it's previous grandeur and upon his death, after decades of unparalleled success, leaves his vast fortune in a bank account with a will that reads "To the fans, I leave this great club."

I can't reveal my source

I heard this also. Look out for flights from Houston.

[Sheikh Salim 215]

Outside the goldfish bowl of Scotland some people do refer to it as soccer.

That article is much better than most of the shite you read in the Scottish media.

Good article from a neutral perspective for once, although I do fucking hate the word soccer

[Blueshoff 12,018]

Fuck me a newspaper article about Rangers that doesn't mention secterianism!!

Think I'll have a beer

[Gash07 26]

If I need to explain how without Whyte we would still be in administration, I'm explaining it to someone who will never get it.

ludicrous.

[54andcounting 627]

Stupid name, ye canny get a fucking Wall Street

[dalton 1,192]

This is a good assesment of what has happened to inform any USA soccer fans.

Side tracking - What really annoys me is that we had Three Usa Internationals of soccer the captain of the USA bognanera - Edu and (Bedoya now on his way)

The marketing potential in that country was for any other team a chance to promote the club .

we havent tried a wasted opportunity -

Edu for me despite his critics in our current situation as shown he can play football.